Semi-Annual Report: Ghana Poultry Project

The project aims to increase the competitiveness of the domestic production and processing of poultry meat and eggs in Ghana. Two strategic objectives guide the project: increasing agriculture productivity in the poultry value chain and increasing the trade of poultry products. The project will catalyze efficiencies at key stages of the poultry value chain to strengthen Ghana as a competitive trade partner in the poultry sector, improve the profitability of egg production, and expand national and regional trade in poultry products and sector-related inputs and service markets. The result is a sustainable and equitable increase in incomes for both male and female producers in the poultry, grains, and related commodity sectors. The project will adopt a market facilitation approach to drive systemic change in the poultry sector, focusing on leveraging USDA's resources to address underlying structural barriers and patterns that inhibit sector growth. The Ghana Poultry Project and the Assisting Management in the Poultry and Layer Industries by Feed Improvement and Efficiency Strategies (AMPLIFIES) project are two complementary agribusiness development projects designed to strengthen the efficiency and competitiveness of Ghana's poultry industry. The project has made significant progress in the second half of FY16, engaging with project partners and stakeholders to generate excitement and interest in project activities during the protracted start-up period. The project has hired the remaining technical and operations staff, outfitted the field offices in Kumasi and Sunyani, and continued close collaboration with the AMPLIFIES project. Monetization activities have also progressed, with ACDI/VOCA requesting a modification to the Cooperative Agreement to allow for commodity monetization in Cote d'Ivoire. The sales contracts signed in June sold 2,400MT of soybean meal and 12,500MT of rice, with final shipment and receipt of proceeds expected in early October 2016. The project has also made efforts to promote team work and facilitate a cordial working relationship among team members, particularly new staff, through a team building event from July 11 to 13 in Kumasi. The project has actively engaged new stakeholders from the government, private sector, and NGOs, including the Ministry of Trade and Industry, LAPROVET, and Resiliency in Northern Ghana Project (RING), among others. The Ghana Poultry Project has made significant progress in the second half of FY16, with a focus on strategic activities carried out as part of the project start-up. The project has engaged with project partners and stakeholders, hired the remaining technical and operations staff, outfitted the field offices in Kumasi and Sunyani, and continued close collaboration with the AMPLIFIES project. The project's monetization activities have progressed, with sales contracts signed in June selling 2,400MT of soybean meal and 12,500MT of rice. The project has also made efforts to promote team work and facilitate a cordial working relationship among team members, particularly new staff, through a team building event from July 11 to 13 in Kumasi. The project has actively engaged new stakeholders from the government, private sector, and NGOs, including the Ministry of Trade and Industry, LAPROVET, and Resiliency in Northern Ghana Project (RING), among others. The project has started to draft a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for collaboration with the "Made in Ghana" Committee (MiG) of the Ministry of Trade and Industry to support the "Consume Ghanaian Campaign".